Miami's MLS Bid Looking Better All the Time

Today the group pushing for an MLS team in Atlanta announced it's dropping out of the running. That leaves five cities to compete for two new franchises that will begin play in 2011. Atlanta was never seen as a strong contender, and Montreal withdrew its bid in November. Meanwhile, Miami and Vancouver are becoming the favorites. Marcelo Claure, the main man behind Miami's bid, is already talking about bringing an all-star team to the city.

Atlanta dropped out partially because the team had failed to reach a deal to build a stadium. Miami already has a deal in place with FIU, a huge advantage over many of the other bids. Trying to build a stadium in these rough times is a difficult obstacle to overcome -- one we don't have to worry about.